Eu opean Jou nal o Resea ch on he Educa ion and Lea ning o Adul s, Vol.2, No.2, 2011, pp. 151-163
ISSN 2000-7426
© 2011 The au ho
DOI 10.3384/ ela.2000-7426. ela0033
www. ela.ep.liu.se
Lea ning con ex s o
he o he s
: Iden i y building p ocesses
in sou he n Eu ope
Es ella Gualda
Uni e si y o Huel a, Spain ([email p o ec ed])
Emilio Lucio-Villegas
Uni e si y o Se ille, Spain ([email p o ec ed])
Vània Ma ins
Uni e si y o Alga e, Po ugal ( .dma ins@ho mail.com)
Te esa González Gómez
Uni e si y o Huel a, Spain ( alab[email p o ec ed])
Juan M. Gualda
Uni e si y o Huel a, Spain ([email p o ec ed])
An ónio F agoso
Uni e si y o Alga e, Po ugal ([email p o ec ed])
Abs ac
The on ie be ween he sou h o Spain and Po ugal is es ablished by he i e
Guadiana. Lying nex o he sea, he ci ies o Ayamon e (Spain) and Vila Real de San o
An ónio (Po ugal) ace each o he on opposi e banks o he i e . The esea ch ha
eeds in o his pape is ocused on hese wo ci ies. We s udy speci ically how iden i y is
buil in his c oss-bo de a ea. To do his, in a i s phase o his s udy we o ganized
eigh ocus g oup in e iews. In he second phase o his esea ch we conduc ed
biog aphical in e iews o deepen some o he analy ic ca ego ies we we e dealing wi h.
These esul s lead us o s a e ha he e i o y, and he iews ha people hold on
his e i o y, a e s ill e y impo an in iden i y building. This includes bo h cul u e and
iden i y as s a egic elemen s in he cons uc ion o bo h de elopmen and educa ional
p ocesses. Addi ionally, one has o ask whe e people lea n he elemen s ha de e mine
hese p ocesses. The images o ou sel es and he images o he o he – ha make up
s e eo ypes o bo h he Spanish and he Po uguese – a e buil in wha kind o con ex s
and h ough wha ypes o educa ional p ocesses? We will y o answe hese ques ions
[152] Gualda e al.
and, inally, p o ide some idea o he impo ance o adul educa ion in hese p ocesses
o iden i y building, and o he a emp o cons uc mo e luid ela ionships be ween he
sou he n Po uguese and Spanish.
Keywo ds: adul educa ion; c oss-bo de coope a ion; iden i ies; li e s o ies; local
de elopmen
Iden i y, sense o belonging and c oss-bo de e i o ies
The on ie be ween he sou h o Spain and Po ugal is es ablished by he i e
Guadiana. Lying nex o he sea, he ci ies o Ayamon e, Spain, and Vila Real de San o
An ónio (VRSA), Po ugal, occupy opposi e banks o he i e . The esea ch suppo ing
his pape ocuses on hese wo municipali ies. We wan o s udy speci ically how
iden i y is buil in his c oss-bo de a ea.
When examining neighbou ing a eas along a on ie , ques ions a ise conce ning
he elemen s ha gi e an iden i y and a sense o belonging o he ci izens o each a ea
and whe he his iden i y and sense o belonging a e sha ed among he ci izens. An
addi ional ques ion immedia ely ollows ega ding he oo s o iden i y, ha is, o he
ex en ha hese oo s ela e o his o y, poli ics, cul u e, geog aphy and social ne wo ks,
among o he a eas. In his sense, in e en ions such as hose in ol ing he In e eg o
o he measu es a icula ed a he Spain-Po ugal bo de (Epson, 2007; The Pa liamen
Magazine, 2007) could ha e an impac on iden i y cons uc ion and could be key ac o s
in he o ma ion o iden i ies, simila o social ne wo ks (Mo én, 2005) o amily
socialisa ion (Umana-Taylo , Bhano & Shin, 2006). Mo eo e , iden i ies and
iden i ica ions a e oo ed in many ac o s (e.g. amily, iends, neighbou s, wo kma es)
ha a e p esen in e e yday li e and ha con ibu e o he dialogue be ween a pe son
and his/he en i onmen , which is nu u ed bo h by a pe son’s sense o sel and by how
o he s see him/he (Ricucci, 2005; Rod íguez, 2006; Newby & Dowling, 2007).
Se e al ac o s may a ec how iden i ies a e cons uc ed a he Spain-Po ugal
bo de . The cons uc ion o iden i ies and iden i ica ions is a subjec i e p ocess in which
con ex plays an impo an ole (Gaude & Clémen , 2005; Tsai, 2006). In his ega d,
sus aining p og ams du ing a ime o c oss-bo de coope a ion demands a en ion.
Iden i ies and iden i ica ions a e mu able and a y o e ime, so i is possible o design
p og ams o be applied in he bo de a ea ha a ec he cons uc ion and econs uc ion
o iden i y, o he ex en ha hese p og ams could p o ide acili ies, ameni ies, and
oppo uni ies o people o di e en a eas o in e ac wi h each o he and he e o e
in luence he iden i ica ion p ocess. A he same ime, one pe son may eel a sense o
belonging and iden i y in mo e han one way. This eeling o belonging o ‘imagined
communi ies’ o ‘poli ical communi ies’ (Ande son, 2006; Schnappe , 1994) can be
os e ed by ins i u ions such as he Eu opean Union’s E asmus P og ammes (which
admi edly could also be he esul o c oss-bo de coope a ion in ou a ea).
Addi ionally, in a global con ex , he sou ces ha a ec he cons uc ion o iden i y
could ex end beyond speci ic local a eas, and indi iduals could be in luenced by
mul iple con ex s. I is he e o e impo an o assess whe he local o global pa ame e s
a e mo e impo an o he cons uc ion o iden i y in he bo de egion sepa a ely om
obse ing he in luence o egion, bo de , and o he elemen s ha in luence he
cons uc ion o iden i y.
Lea ning con ex s o he o he s [153]
Mo eo e , many esea che s ha e s udied he link be ween iden i y and sense o
belonging and ha e s essed i s complexi y (Ga land & Chak abo i, 2006; Mu uja,
2006; Tsolidis & Polla d, 2009; Lam & Smi h, 2009). Resea che s ha e analysed he
ela ionship be ween iden i y, belonging, cosmopoli ism (Bhimji, 2008) and e en
ci izenship (Mo eno, 2008). Some wo ks, such as Bhimji (2008), emphasise ha we li e
in a global e a in which i is mo e common o ha e a lexible and po ous unde s anding
o he na ion-s a e, which in u n has aded in signi icance. In he compu e age, people
can bo h build membe ships oo ed in he s a e and gi ing meaning o econ igu ing
membe ships in he local con ex whe e hey li e.
A pa o he ecen li e a u e, pa icula ly in he ield o mig a ions, highligh s he
complexi y o he s udy o social and cul u al iden i ies (Esse , 2009; Jackson, 2009;
Ueno, 2009), pa icula ly hei mul i ace ed na u e and he no ion ha iden i ies a e no
s a ic bu luidly changing in he con ex o speci ic si ua ions. Fo example, he
iden i ies o he child en o immig an s a e e idence ha hey do no necessa ily adop
one iden i y o e ano he bu ins ead con inually adap and eadap hemsel es,
some imes ou o necessi y (Bodenhausen, 2010; Ca a, 2010; Jackson, 2009; B e ell &
Nibbs, 2009; Ve meij, an Duijn & Bae eld , 2009). This obse a ion may be use ul as
a wo king hypo hesis ega ding he iden i y cons uc ion ha ope a es on bo h sides o
he bo de . Thus, i may be possible o ind mul iple iden i ies o hyb id iden i ies in
ci izens in he Ayamon e-VRSA bo de a ea, and hese iden i ies maybe c ea i e and
inno a i e in he ealm o he cons uc ion o iden i ies. The adap abili y o iden i ies
has been obse ed in indi iduals ha , hough no esiding in a physical bo de egion,
we e socialised in a symbolic bo de ha sepa a ed hei immig an pa en s om he
na i e popula ion (o igin s. des ina ion coun y). Simila ly, hese second-gene a ion
immig an s, esiding on he edge o he sou he n bo de sepa a ing Spain and Po ugal
can be unde s ood, in e ms o he econs uc ion o iden i ies, as exis ing be ween wo
sociocul u al wo lds and hey may c ea e indi idual meanings and mul iple o hyb id
iden i ies (B e ell & Nibbs, 2009; Ca a, 2010; Tsolidis & Polla d, 2009; Ve meij, an
Duijn & Bae eld , 2009).
Ma ke s o iden i y and belonging a e ela ed o na ionali y, ci izenship, na ional
spaces and, abo e all, language (Bu che , 2008; Ca a, 2010), eligion, and e en
pa icipa ion in and membe ship o social ne wo ks (Lubbe s, Molina & McCa y,
2007). The cons uc ion o iden i y and a sense o belonging a e o en connec ed o
ideas and cul u al expe iences ha a e sha ed wi h o he s. Rega ding language, Bu che
(2008) a gues ha his connec ion c ea es a ension be ween cul u al con inui y and
cul u al change in di e en socie ies, and i can be used o c ea e connec ions be ween
belonging and iden i y, d awing bounda ies be ween people. This connec ion, he e o e,
may be impo an o he p ocesses o in eg a ing and cons uc ing a Eu o- egion.
Language is hus cons ued as a key elemen in o ming iden i y, di e en ia ing one’s
sel om o he s, se ing bounda ies be ween us and hem, and ein o cing simila i ies
be ween he inhabi an s o wo a eas (Ca a, 2010).
Ha ing aised hese issues, ou pape analyses he ole ha hese ac o s play in he
sense o belonging o he bo de a ea encompassing sou h-wes e n Spain and Po ugal.
Objec i es
In he p eceding sec ion, we desc ibed he complexi y in ol ed in he s udy o iden i ies
and iden i ica ions. One eason o his complexi y is ha iden i ies and iden i ica ions
change o e he cou se o a pe son’s li e. We a e in e es ed in knowing i people li ing
[154]
in A
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espond
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sides o h
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a
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and iden i
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,
(2010) a g
u
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9
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bo de , an
d
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ds in each
c
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s
n
ed wi h d
i
S
A and ou
m
13 o 24
a
s and old
e
T
hese expe
s
‘local, eg
ica ions’.
h
ese wo
b
h
ough he
,
which wa
s
u
e ha exc
h
e
s his med
i
e
n i ies? T
o
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: Wha ki
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b
m
us be ie
w
U
nion and,
a
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.
&
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9
95; Pou
o
e echniq
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h ques ion
s
n
some de
a
i e analys
i
n
d he Po u
g
coun y.
s
ep esen
i
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e
ocus g o
u
yea s old,
a
e
, as well
a
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s had ac
c
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o de
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s
buil
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ange
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a ion
wha
n
d o
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a
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.
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1
989)
o
is &
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es o
s
(i.e.,
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il ou
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s, he
g
uese
mo e
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ls o
u
ps in
a
dul s
a
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c
u a e
Lea ning con ex s o he o he s [155]
knowledge o , and expe iences in, c oss-bo de coope a ion issues om pe sonal o
p o essional expe iences such as belonging o nongo e nmen al o ganisa ions ha
conduc c oss-bo de p ojec s, o mal and in o mal coope a ion wi h hese
o ganiza ions, o pe sonal expe iences in bo h a eas. In hese g oups, he pu pose was o
elici di ec and spon aneous discou se abou he bo de a ea, he biog aphy o each
pa icipan , and bo de ela ions and iden i y. All pa icipan s we e esiden s o he
municipali y being s udied.
The selec ion p ocesses o all pa icipan s we e he ‘snowball’ echnique and
di ec con ac wi h di e en ins i u ions (e.g., local go e nmen s, associa ions). The
‘expe s’ ocus g oup was he las selec ed. To ec ui expe s, we u ilised ou
knowledge o c oss-bo de p ojec s in he a ea and seconda y sou ces, as well as o he s
ac o s. Addi ionally, in e e y ocus g oup, each pa icipan was asked o ill in a small,
semi-s uc u ed ques ionnai e asking i he o she knew somebody who could ul il he
c i e ia o he ‘expe s’ g oup. This ques ionnai e acili a ed he la e ec ui men o
some pa icipan s o he ‘expe s’ ocus g oups on each side o he bo de and he
ec ui men o pa icipan s o con ibu e li e s o ies in he second phase o he p ojec .
In his ques ionnai e, hey also p o ided pe sonal in o ma ion abou hei socio-
demog aphic p o ile and o he issues such as educa ion and wo k o complemen wha
was epo ed in he g oup discussion. Fo he supe ision o each g oup, he esea ch
membe s collec ed he con ac da a o each pa icipan , and once he da e and place was
ixed, he pa icipan s we e assembled o he mee ing. Each g oup comp ised be ween
5 and 10 pa icipan s o each municipali y.
Fo he handling o he g oups, an open ou line was used in bo h coun ies ha
included ques ions ega ding he ini ial p esen a ion o each pa icipan , his o he
biog aphy and expe iences wi h he o he coun y, and so o h. The discussion began
wi h he ques ion: ‘I you had o in oduce Ayamon e/VRSA o a pe son who comes
om ou side and has no in o ma ion abou his place, wha would you say?’ Nex , while
showing a sa elli e map o he a ea, he same ques ion was posed bu conce ning he
c oss-bo de a ea: ‘I you had o in oduce his a ea o a pe son who is nei he Spanish
no Po uguese, and who has no in o ma ion abou his place, wha would you say?’
To conclude he session, we explici ly asked e e y pa icipan , e en i he opic
was p e iously discussed in he session: ‘To conclude, wha do you iden i y wi h? Wha
is you iden i y? To whe e do you eel you belong?’
Finally, all o he g oups we e conduc ed om May o Oc obe , 2009, and hei
sessions we e eco ded and ansc ibed o acili a e he con en analysis ca ied ou wi h
he help o scien i ic quali a i e so wa e, speci ically A las. i.
Li e s o ies
A e he ocus g oups and he i s analysis, a second phase was ca ied ou ocusing on
biog aphical semi s uc u ed in e iews o ‘expe s’. In ac , we pe o med en
biog aphical in e iews in each coun y o ci izens li ing in Ayamon e and VRSA wi h
ei he p o en wo k expe ience in c oss-bo de ac i i ies o mo e in o mal expe ise in
he same a ea. Ou aims he e we e mainly wo old. Fi s , we wan ed o know i , in hese
pa icula cases wi h a lo o his o y in c oss-bo de expe iences, he c oss-bo de
pe sonal in e changes a ec ed he cons uc ion o iden i ies and sense o belonging o
he c oss-bo de a ea. Second, knowing he pe sonal ne wo ks o he in e iewees, we
checked wha coun ies people men ioned in e e y pe sonal ne wo k. Fo his analysis,
we used an open ou line a he same ime as a speci ic quan i a i e module in he
ques ionnai e o social ne wo k analysis.

[156] Gualda e al.
We in e iewed people om old and new economic ac i i ies, including
p o essional ields such as ishing, sailing, mino ade, public adminis a ion, and
se ices, men and women, and di e en age g oups. These people had di e en
academic backg ounds and le els o educa ion and we e esiden s o he municipali ies,
bo h local na i es and nonlocal na i es ha had li ed in he a ea a long ime. While
some had o mal o ins i u ionalised c oss-bo de expe iences h ough pa icipa ion in
bo de p ojec s, o he s had in o mal expe iences o simply pe sonal o amily easons
o bo de con ac . Once each in o man was con ac ed, a ixed da e and place was se
be ween he esea che and esponden . The majo i y o he in e iews we e conduc ed
a he wo kplace o each esponden (e.g. in o ices, on ships), excep hose esponden s
who we e pensione s in he old people’s home o we e in e iewed a home on a ee
day om wo k. Th oughou he ollowing ex , when we quo e hei opinions and
expe iences, we always gi e ic i ious names o sociodemog aphic da a o p ese e hei
anonymi y. This pa e n was also ollowed in he ocus g oup.
O he echniques
Along wi h he p e ious in e iews and ocus g oups, we also bene i ed om se e al
guided and non-guided isi s o bo h municipali ies ha ollowed he pa e n o a
pa icipa o y obse a ion. The au ho s o his a icle ha e known hese municipali ies
o se e al yea s and main ain con inuous con ac wi h he local ci izens. We also used
seconda y s a is ical da a and ook ad an age o a p e ious in es iga ion ca ied ou in
2007-2008 (Gualda, Lucio-Villegas, F agoso, Figuei a, Gualda, Ba e a, Almeida,
Ramalho & Maya, 2008), aken he e as seconda y sou ce, whe ein we s udied social
de elopmen in 18 adminis a i e a eas o he sou he n c oss-bo de zone be ween
Po ugal and Spain.
Resul s
In he ollowing sec ions, we discuss he p ocesses o he cons uc ion o he iden i ies
o he people esiding in VRSA and Ayamon e. Ul ima ely, we connec iden i y
cons uc ion wi h he ecip ocal unde s andings each indi idual gains o he o he .
Iden i ies in he bo de : P e alence o local iden i ies
In he heo e ical dispu e be ween wha people clea ly exp ess as iden i y o
iden i ica ion and wha hey exp ess in a mo e di use way abou he eeling o
belonging o sha ing some hing wi h neighbou s, wha is emphasised is ha he
popula ions o bo h coun ies a e mani es ing mainly local iden i ies. Local iden i y is
usually di ec ed owa ds he coun y o bi h and esidence, including he local iden i ies
o e u ned emig an s. Mo eo e , he ew cases ha iden i ied wi h Eu ope o wi h he
c oss-bo de a ea seemed o ha e special amily, educa ional o p o essional p o iles.
In he case o Ayamon e, only six o he mo e han wen y people pa icipa ing in
he ou ocus g oups exp essed eelings o belonging simul aneously o Ayamon e and
o o he places ( ypically also in Spain). Only one woman o hese six people iden i ied
wi h bo h Ayamon e and Po ugal a he same ime. This Hispanic-Po uguese ‘dual
iden i y’ was unde s andable because she was bo n in Alen ejo bu ma ied a Spanish
man and li ed mos o he li e in Ayamon e, whe e she mig a ed o wo k a he age o
six een. Cu iously, his woman iden i ied dually—‘locally’ o Ayamon e, Spain, and
‘ egionally’ o Alen ejo, Po ugal. In he wo ds: ‘I eel mysel om he e, bu I also eel
Lea ning con ex s o he o he s [157]
good being in Po ugal. And in Po ugal I eel mysel om he Alen ejo egion’
(Ayamon e, woman, elde s ocus g oup, 2009).
Ano he woman also desc ibed he e y complex iden i y as Eu opean, de i ing
om he expe iences and amily oo s:
My g andpa en s a e Po uguese, I ha e Po uguese blood, my su name is Po uguese, I
was bo n in Spain, I spen hal o my li e in Ge many, my child en we e bo n in
Ge many,… wi h hose backg ounds, I am om Eu ope, a en’ I? (Ayamon e, woman,
elde s ocus g oup, 2009).
We mus also conside he h ee young people who, ha ing li ed in o he p o inces,
claimed o ha e a sense o sha ed o dual iden i y be ween wo loca ions in Spain, albei
wi h indi idual nuances and di e ences be ween hem due o hei di e en social li es:
Fo example, I do no eel mysel as om Ayamon e, because I came he e a he age o
six... i I had o decide any hing, I would p e e o s ay in Co doba, bu in win e , and I
p e e Ayamon e in summe (Ayamon e, you hs’ ocus g oup, woman, 2009).
And
I like Ayamon e, I can go ou and s ay un il he ime I wan o in he s ee , i is e y
di e en om Ba celona, whe e I had o be a home a 9:00 p.m., he e i is impossible o
go ou (Ayamon e, woman, you hs’ ocus g oup, 2009).
As o VRSA, hough we p edominan ly ound local iden i ies based on place o bi h
and esidence, we also ound a g ea e di e si y o decla ed iden i ies. In se en een
cases, we ound iden i ies based in VRSA o o he locali ies (e.g., Vila No a de Cacela,
Lisbon). In he es , we ound a p e alence ( hi een people) o a egional iden i y based
in he Alga e o he Alen ejo, a no able con as o he p edominan local iden i ies
ound in Ayamon e. None heless, all o he egional iden i ies bu h ee cases ha
pa icipa ed in he expe s’ ocus g oup we e dual iden i ies, many o hem sha ing hei
egional iden i y wi h hei sense o belonging o a locali y. We also ound o he dual
iden i ies in h ee cases, namely, one iden i ica ion wi h wo Po uguese municipali ies,
one wi h he place o bi h and a he same ime wi h Eu ope, and he las wi h he
Po uguese Na ion. Finally, only one pe son iden i ied exclusi ely as Po uguese.
Biog aphical in e iews conduc ed in 2010 wi h people speci ically selec ed o
hei expe ise in c oss-bo de coope a ion issues con i med his local dominance. In he
in e iews, mos people exhibi ed a local iden i y, and only wo people showed an
in e na ional iden i y. In cases o na ional iden i y, people iden i ied wi h hei coun y
o o igin and we e open o wo king and li ing anywhe e in ha coun y, while in cases
o in e na ional iden i y, people had no such eeling o belonging o one coun y o
locali y, bu ins ead we e open o wo king o li ing in any pa o he wo ld.
Local iden i ies... bu compa ible wi h a sense o in e dependence o economy and
ou ism
Ve y equen ly people ha ha e always li ed in Vila Real do San o An ónio do no
ha e senses o bo de iden i y. A he same ime, hey admi ha he icini y o
Ayamon e has a signi ican ole in hei li es, and hey also use o say ha Ayamon e is
a own o in luence o hem in e ms o ade, gas onomy, and o he espec s. One
woman said ha i does no make sense o in oduce Vila Real do San o An ónio o
someone wi hou in oducing him o he o Ayamon e. E en hey use o in oduce he
a ea o newcome s by c ossing he Guadiana Ri e by boa wi h hem. The Guadiana is
[158] Gualda e al.
also i al o he cons uc ion o iden i y in his egion because o he Po uguese po s’
impo an economic ela ionship wi h Spain (B òguei a Dias & Fe nandes Al es, 2010).
As o he people in e iewed in Ayamon e, mos o hem exp essed a local iden i y, bu
wo o hem also admi ed ha he bo de a ea was an iden i ie o hem in he same
sense ha o he people desc ibed in Vila Real. The e o e, i is necessa y o dis inguish
be ween a clea iden i ica ion wi h a pa icula place (no mally, he coun y o bi h),
and wha people ecognize as a e e en o hei pe sonal iden i ica ion ( he o he
coun y). This happens because in he place whe e hey de elop hei daily li es, hey
a e awa e o how bo h places in luence hei li es. We also ound ha wo pe sons
iden i ied hemsel es as Spanish (na ional iden i y). These cases con as wi h he
unique pe son ha decla ed an in e na ional iden i y: ‘Fo me, he e is no bo de ; I am
om hose places and cul u es ha ul ill me’ (Ayamon e, woman, 49 yea s old,
in e iew, 2010). Las , he only pe son who decla ed a kind o c oss-bo de iden i y was
a Po uguese man who li es in VRSA and wo ks in VRSA and Ayamon e: ‘I eel ha I
am om he wo places. I iden i y mo e wi h he people o his a ea han wi h people
om Lisbon, o su e. I eel I am o his a ea, as a whole [ om he c oss-bo de zone]’
(VRSA, man, 43 yea s old, in e iew, 2010).
The e a e also hose who a e ully awa e o he in luence ha he bo de has on
hei li es. This in luence is obse ed in bo de ade and ou ism. Fo example, ano he
in e iewee said ha , o Ayamon e, he bo de is a esou ce ha encou ages hese
economic ac i i ies. Simila ly, o he esponden s claimed ha he bo de is an
iden i iable elemen o bo h Ayamon e and VRSA:
I ’s an a ac ion o locals and o hose om ab oad who come o see Ayamon e, bu
also VRSA. We sell he bo de as an ex a incen i e, as an added alue, he Ri e , he
bo de ... we li e i as some hing posi i e, and his is how we ell i o o he s (Ayamon e,
woman, 47 yea s old, in e iew, 2010).
Fu he mo e, hough i is no explici ly s a ed in hei esponses, he awa eness o he
in e dependence be ween he wo municipali ies in some a eas becomes clea when he
esponden s spoke abou he in luence o ade and ou ism as majo sec o s o he
economy o hese c oss-bo de municipali ies. Fo example, people om VRSA
commen ed ha VRSA’s ade is ocused on Spanish cus ome s, and when people om
Ayamon e e e o he o ien a ion o hei ade owa ds he Po uguese. ‘In Ayamon e
we sell mo e pe ol han in o he places in Spain. We sell o all he Alga e, VRSA,
Mon e Go do... hey come he e o ill up, and i appea ed e en on he Tele ision’
(Ayamon e, man, 31 yea s old, in e iew, 2010). This in e dependence is ega ded bo h
posi i ely and nega i ely and he e o e can become compe i i e, as one o he women
in e iewed commen ed:
The be e he wo egions a e de eloped; he be e o Ayamon e… be o e Ayamon e
had a good ade, bu Po ugal is imp o ing hei comme ce. Then he Po uguese a e no
coming he e… and wha helps he e is ha ade does no become so s ong he e
(Ayamon e, woman, 41 yea s old, in e iew, 2010).
Ne e heless, all o hese discou ses con ey one basic idea, ha i is di icul o
unde s and Ayamon e wi hou VRSA, and ice e sa.
Neighbou s bu no b o he s: We a e di e en
One elemen ha appea s in he discou ses o esponden s on bo h sides o he bo de is
he idea ha , hough comme cial in e dependence and ou ism a e good, he e is a
Lea ning con ex s o he o he s [159]
e icence o go u he . Some o he esponden s a gued ha ‘ hey conside hemsel es
as neighbou s, bu no as b o he s’. This ype o nuanced ou look is ound in Po uguese
and Spanish people: ‘Some Spanish people say ha he Po uguese wan o be a Spanish
egion, bu hey a e he mino i y, anyway we a e no going o allow his o happen’
(Ayamon e, man, 37 yea s old, in e iew, 2010), and
I hink i is good o ha e coope a ion on ce ain issues, bu o oblige Po uguese and
Spanish o be equal, ha is ou ageous. We canno lose ou bea ings and ge con used...
hen, iden i y is e y impo an , e e ybody has hei iden i y, and we coope a e in ce ain
espec s, bu only his, mo e han his is mixing, and i we mix, we a e los . You ha e a
sis e , bu you a e no equal o he (Ayamon e, woman, 41 yea s old, in e iew, 2010).
This neighbou ly ela ionship is associa ed wi h a neu al pe cep ion o he o he . None
o he esponden s in Ayamon e conside hei neighbou as ha ing be e o wo se
quali ies; hey a e me ely di e en . Howe e , Spain and Po ugal also sha e cul u al
ai s and some common ideas o Ibe ia:
Spanish and Po uguese ha e a common sense o Ibe ia, bu c ea ing now a eeling o he
bo de ... i makes hings e en mo e complica ed. Tha [common] eeling would appea
om smoo h ela ions, bu hese hings [ he eal scena io] a ise om close ela ionships
o e ime... (Ayamon e, man, 46 yea s old, in e iew, 2010).
Con e sely, as was decla ed by a Po uguese woman:
They a e no [Spanish om Ayamon e] ou b o he s! They only a e ou neighbou s!
Tha ’s all! I hink ha a i udes and beha iou s a e he same; like us, hey a e cau ious
because hey a e s igma ised due o he he s, because Spanish people om he wo king
class came he e, especially a he annual Fes i al, and hey always ied o ake some hing
ha didn’ belong o hem, and we did he same hing he e. This is why when we en e a
shop all eyes a e opened, keeping hei eyes on us, and hey see hings done by
Po uguese ha hey don’ see o he Spanish: Wa ch ou ! Ca e ul! The e, he e’s a
Po uguese! And we do he same hing in Po ugal! (VRSA, woman, 56 yea s old,
in e iew, 2010).
These las quo es emind us o he impo ance o he pas in he cons uc ion o he
p esen and he u u e in his c oss-bo de a ea and he exis ence o a ecip ocal
suspicion ha some imes appea s when main aining ela ionships.
Mo eo e , when asked abou he eelings ha Po uguese in e iewees ha e when
hey go o Ayamon e, hey claimed hey el good because hey a e well ecei ed.
Howe e , hey s ill epo ha hey eel like hey a e in a o eign coun y despi e hei
p oximi y o home, because hey see cul u al di e ences be ween he wo coun ies. The
Spania ds esponded simila ly, mos ly decla ing hey el com o able when hey a e in
Po ugal, and mo e so wi h he Alga e han wi h o he no he n a eas o Po ugal: ‘I
eel welcomed, bu no a home’, ‘I miss Spain, bu i would no be di icul o me o
li e in Po ugal. Bu I eel I’m om Spain’ (Ayamon e, woman, 47 yea s old, in e iew,
2010). O he s made simila s a emen s, excep one esponden who iden i ied bo h wi h
Spain and Po ugal and whose daily li e akes place be ween he wo coun ies. Finally,
women who a e no na i e o Ayamon e bu ha e esided he e o o e 10 yea s belie e
ha people om Ayamon e y o main ain a ce ain dis ance om, o e icence o
in e ac wi h, hei neighbou s. These women’s g ea in e es owa ds Po ugal con as s
wi h hose esponden s who we e bo n in Ayamon e and exp essed a clea ly local
iden i y.